Abstract
Over the past decade considerable focus has been directed towards the role of internships as mechanisms for gaining work experience and securing routes to permanent jobs. Yet internships have also increased in their notoriety for being unpaid, leading to accusations of a ‘new elitism’ where only those who can afford to work for free can gain the experience necessary to access certain professions. In such a context, the role of universities in developing and supporting opportunities that are meaningful, fair and pedagogically informed is under scrutiny. This chapter explores the diversity of stakeholder interests at the university-work interface. Framed around the legal, practical and pedagogic challenges of developing meaningful work experience opportunities for students, it draws as its central case study on the Third Sector Internships Scotland programme. This national initiative sought to offer students across all Scottish universities the opportunity to apply for paid internships, experience work in the third sector, and receive appropriate feedback on their applications to enhance their employability. The chapter reflects on the multiple layers of impact that any effective employability initiative needs to offer, and the challenges associated with meeting the needs of diverse stakeholders.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Carl Gilleard is Chief Executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters.
- 2.
Ibid.
References
Andrews, J., & Higson, H. (2010). Graduate employability, “Soft Skills” Versus “Hard” business knowledge: A European study. Higher Education in Europe, 33(4), 411–422. https://doi.org/10.1080/03797720802522627.
ASET. (2014). Benefits of placements. Available at: http://www.asetonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ASET-Good-Practice-Guide-2014.pdf. Accessed December 10, 2018.
Bates, C. (2011). Investigating internships, London, YouGov. Available at: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2011/03/23/investigating-internships.
Brooks, R., Fuller, A., & Waters, J. (Eds.). (2012). Changing spaces of education. New perspectives on the nature of learning. Abingdon: Routledge.
Caddell, M. (2012). Making internships work for Scotland’s students and third sector organisations. Edinburgh: Third Sector Internships Scotland.
Caddell, M., Boyle, F., McIlwhan, R., & Jones, H. (2015). Third sector internships Scotland: Final report. Edinburgh: TSIS. https://www.open.ac.uk/scotland/sites/www.open.ac.uk.scotland/files/files/ecms/web-content/TSIS-Final-Report.PDF. Accessed December 10, 2018.
Carmody, J. (2011). Graduate opportunities—The current policy context. Graduate employment and internships (pp. 37–41). London: Westminster Education Forum (WEF).
CBI and Universities UK. (2009). Future fit: Preparing graduates for the world of work, London: CBI. Available at: https://www.cbi.org.uk/pdf/20090326-CBI-FutureFit-Preparing-graduates-for-the-world-of-work.pdf.
Cullinane, C., & Montacute, R. (2018). Pay as you go: Internship pay, quality and access in the graduate jobs market. London: Sutton Trust. https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/internships-pay-as-you-go/.
European Commission. (n.d.). What is an SME?. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/business-friendly-environment/sme-definition_en.
Gilleard, C. (2011). The current state of graduate employment. Graduate employment and internships. (pp. 7–10). London: Westminster Education Forum (WEF).
Gunn, V., & Kafmann, K. (2011). Employability and the austerity decade. Graduates for the 21st Century: Integrating the enhancement themes. Glasgow, QAA Scotland. Available at: https://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/docs/ethemes/graduates-for-the-21st-century/employability-and-the-austerity-decade.pdf?sfvrsn=a63df981_8.
Low Pay Commission. (2011). National minimum wage. London: The Stationery Office.
Milburn Panel. (2009). Unleashing aspiration: Fair access to the professions. https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121205062846/http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/corporate/migratedd/publications/p/panel-fair-access-to-professions-final-report-21july09.pdf.
Milburn Panel. (2012). Fair access to professional careers. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/61090/IR_FairAccess_acc2.pdf.
Montacute, R. (2018). Internships—Unpaid, unadvertised, unfair: Research Brief, Edition 20, January 2018. London: Sutton Trust. https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/internships-unpaid-unadvertised-unfair/.
Pegg, A., & Caddell, M. (2016). Workplaces and policy spaces: Insights from third sector internships Scotland. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 6(2), 1–19.
Scottish Funding Council. (2004). Learning to Work: Enhancing employability and enterprise in Scottish further and higher education. Available at: https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20090411224926/http:/www.sfc.ac.uk/publications/pubs_other_sfefcarchive/learning_to_work.pdff.
Scottish Funding Council. (2010). Learning to Work Two – developing the Council’s employability strategy: Consultation outcomes, action plan and invitation to develop proposals. Consultation Circular SFC/41/2009 18/12/2009. Edinburgh: SFC.
Sutton Trust. (2014). Internship or indenture: Research brief, 2 November 2014. London: Sutton Trust. https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/internships-unpaid-graduates/.
Tomlinson, M. (2008). ‘The degree is not enough’: students’ perceptions of the role of higher education credentials for graduate work and employability. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 29(1), 49–61.
UKCES. (2014). Forging futures: Building higher level skills through university and employer collaboration. London: UKCES/Universities UK. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/356749/FF_FinalReport_Digital_190914.pdf. Accessed April 3, 2018.
Universities UK. (2018). Britain thinks—Public perceptions of UK universities. Available at: http://britainthinks.com/pdfs/Britain-Thinks_Public-perceptions-of-UK-universities_Nov18.pdf. Accessed December 11, 2018.
Wilson, T. (2012). A review of business—University Collaboration, BIS/12/610. London: BIS.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Caddell, M., McIlwhan, R. (2019). Making Student Internships Work: Navigating Stakeholder Interests and Aspirations at the University-Work Interface. In: Diver, A. (eds) Employability via Higher Education: Sustainability as Scholarship. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26342-3_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26342-3_19
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-26341-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-26342-3
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)